The use of bidet hygiene is broadly recognized, and more so in some cultures than others. Ancient cultures, including the Romans and the Incans Mayans, deployed significant resources to channel mountain streams into their communities for personal uses of fresh water, irrigate total crops, ornament fountains, facilitate the removal of sewage, and enable their bidets. Use of bidets in Europe and the Middle East is common to this day. In Europe, private homes, hostels and hotels are commonly equipped with bidets, often as a separate toilet bowl, typically positioned next to the primary use toilet.
Anal-genital pressure washing as opposed to hand-finger-paper wiping as a sanitary issue, has socially defined hygiene, cultures and religions. Absent or poor hand washing after toileting is a known means of spreading diseases which has been legislated by health safety codes and regulations internationally. For the disabled and handicapped, efficient, thorough hand-assist paper post-toiling hygiene is often compromised due to orthopedic, arthritic or neurological inability to stretch, grasp and reach. Disease and body tissue injuries/complications caused by inefficient toilet paper hygiene are common in this group.
As a technical issue, a multitude of bidets have been developed, patented, presented and marketed parallel with the available science of the time. As technology has developed to the present day, most bidets have become powered electrically, tapped into the residential or commercial water supply, and heated through secondary water heating apparatus; all of which eliminate the possibility of portability, thereby requiring the user to become home dependent
Past attempts at developing a portable bidet typically remain affixed to the toilet bowl or wall with limited water volume and poor pressure spray delivery capability. Wash water directional selection or control application ability require the user to physically move about and adapt ‘to the direction of the water spray. Portability is limited to the length of the fixed hose connection to the water supply. Their use in a commercial toilet stall is not possible without changing and adapting the in-house plumbing. Such hand-held bidets have limited volumes which typically require hand-held directional control while simultaneously hand-compressing the reservoir. Once the volume is depleted, wash hygiene capability is exhausted until it can be refilled.
Seniors are frequently self-sequestered due to their toilet inabilities and insecurities. Effects of aging, such as arthritic changes, joint complications, rotator-cuff failures, spinal pain, obesity, and/or range-of-motion debilities all compromise normal physical activities and habits of daily living, ultimately requiring consideration and adaptation. Senior assist devices are available, such as canes, wheelchairs, walkers, grasping devices, etc., all of which improve individuals' quality of life and mobility. As the adult population becomes older, physical assistance has become a matter of usability, portability and profitability,
Although there are stationary bidet plumbing fixtures available, the user is obligated to remain in proximity to that device. Hotels and travel destinations are often asked regarding their toilet assist abilities. Where handicapped assist rooms may be available, bidet assist devices usually are not. Where disabled persons may successfully mount the commode, and effect bowel emptying, they are often not able to provide efficient and thorough hygiene to complete the task. It becomes a deeply personal issue, best avoided by self-limiting outside travel and remaining “close-to-home”. That is, provided there is acceptable toilet hygiene ability at home. Those same physical complications, which limit the user in outside-the-home applications, exist inside-the-home as well.
As such, considering the foregoing, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for novel and improved devices and methods for a portable bidet device.